Sweet Talk with Francine's Sweets: The Inaugural Edition
- Alayna Kendall
- Oct 4, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 29
Alayna here. Welcome to the first edition of Sweet Talk, my blog that let’s me blab on about the important (let’s use this term loosely) and pressing (again-it’s relative) matters involving all things sweet, tasty and delicious.
Sweet Talk is your literary encounter with all of my delicious creations, from cakes to cookies and everything in between. This is the place where you will see what I’ve been whipping up, be the first to know about exciting projects, and learn some of my best baking tips.
I’m excited and honored that you’re here. Not many would willingly sign up to read my ramblings, so I’m already grateful!
Let’s sweet talk.
The Summer of Pie
After discovering that I live near an adorable farm stand (shout out Speyer’s), I made this the self-proclaimed Summer of Pie. TBH, pie has always intimidated me. Sure, I had made pumpkin pies with my grandma at Thanksgiving, but under her watchful and well-educated eye, nothing could go wrong. Left on my own, it seemed like I could simply LOOK at a pie crust the wrong way and it would immediately shrink, become tough, burn to a crisp, and probably laugh at me simultaneously.
I hit the local library and poured over baking books such as Dessert Person by Claire Saffitz and Pie Academy by Ken Haedrich. I grabbed butter, a pastry cutter and rolling pin and was ready to get started! Most people would begin with the basics, maybe an apple pie. Me? Nope, I dove headfirst into a complicated and unfamiliar flavor known as Maple Custard. This, I am sad to report, was disastrous. The pie crust practically broke the knife used to slice it, it was so tough. The maple custard filling was overcooked and eggy. Everyone in my family politely declined (appreciate that -__-) except for my grandpa. How he managed to eat that without losing a tooth, I’ll never know, but he even said it tasted good, earning him GOTY (grandpa of the year).
Attempt #2 was a classic blueberry pie. The crust, again, was bad bad bad. The Amazon boxes at my door would have had more flavor. I cooked the filling too long and didn’t add the correct amount of sugar, so it turned into a bland-tasting, pudding-like substance. Not good. My husband kindly ate a slice and said it, quote wasn’t terrible end quote. “Not terrible” wasn’t exactly what I was going for when I dreamed of becoming the Pie Queen. Time to try again.
My last foray into the world of pie was a peach caramel version. For this one, I used a different crust recipe (from Sarah Kieffer’s The Vanilla Bean Baking Book) and finally achieved that perfect, flaky goodness. The filling was full of peach flavor, followed by a hint of salty caramel. Finally, a pie success! I topped it with some vanilla ice cream and enjoyed the fruits of my labor. It’s been quite the journey, but as Hannah Montana says, it’s not about how fast you make a pie crust, it’s not about what’s waiting on the other side of the oven…it’s the climb (director’s cut version).
If you’ve ever tried a new recipe that didn’t turn out, or simply forgot a batch of blueberry pie filling was cooking on the stove, know you’re not alone! These baking mishaps happen to the best of us! Don’t think of them as mistakes, but rather as learning experiences that are only going to help you become a better baker! And if all else fails and your pie crust is burning in the oven while the smoke alarm goes off, know that you can always get ice cream. :)
Cake of the Week: Chocolate
Chocolate cake is reminiscent of childhood birthday parties, where your biggest worry was that your older brother would blow out your candles FOR you (he usually did). This cake features a moist chocolate cake filled with chocolate chips for texture, layers of chocolate ganache, all covered with chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream (how many times can I chocolate in a sentence).
If you’ve never had SMBC, it’s an elevated version of it’s overly-sweet American buttercream cousin. SMBC is silky smooth and less sweet, making each bite of chocolate cake creamy, decadent and full of flavor. It’s incredible.
Whether you are in charge of dessert at the tailgate, celebrating a birthday, or recognizing a job promotion, this classic favor is sure to be a crowd pleaser!
BTW- Boss’s Day is October 16th and let’s be real, you deserve a raise. Treating the boss man or lady to a chocolate cake couldn’t HURT your chances, right?? Respond to this email to place your order today!
Thanks for reading!
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